


A Moment of Hope

by Mysticmcknight



Series: Doctor Fest [2]
Category: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-02
Updated: 2017-05-02
Packaged: 2018-10-27 00:10:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,264
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10797651
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mysticmcknight/pseuds/Mysticmcknight
Summary: Ben’s down and someone is giving him a moment to think about it.





	A Moment of Hope

Another long day and it only just begun, he sat in the darkness of his office staring out into the distant stars before him. It was almost four years since he came to be the commanding officer of DS9, only a year after the death of his wife; though that wound was as healed as it could be, he sat here feeling the pains of loneliness. There were many vibrant women about him, but they all seemed to be lacking something or he was still trying to compare them unfairly to his late wife. No, no one seemed to stir him, but the loneliness was strong as ever. 

He sat watching a ship go through the wormhole, the temple and home of the Prophets, to whom he was the Emissary, on top of his other duties of being Captain. For the first few years he didn’t mind the extra work, in fact he welcomed it, but now…now he wanted things to change, but he didn’t know how or to what. He just knew he wanted…no, needed them to change and stop the emptiness inside. 

A soft beep of his com unit stirred him from his thoughts. “Yes?” he replied to the call. 

“Vedik Amilla has just arrived from Bajor and has requested to see you, Emissary,” Kira said formally. 

Ben Sisko took a deep breath; he was tired, but far from sleepy. “Send them in,” he said as he stood up to make himself appropriate to greet this new Vedik. He watched the doors open and a woman in her late forties enter in with a medium sized package. Her dark hair was a contrast to her bright green eyes, which twinkled as she smiled. “Vedik Amilla, a pleasure to meet you,” Sisko said in formal greeting, raising his hand to her left ear, the holder of the pah as she returned the greeting. 

“The pleasure it all mine, Emissary,” she replies warmly 

“Please have a seat,” he says as he gestures to a chair in front of his desk. He waits until she does than sits back in his own seat. “What can I do for you?” he asks in his best professional tone, steepling his fingers to give a more serous pose of himself. 

Vedik Amilla smiles as she removes the covering off the medium box like package to reveal a golden hand carved, wooden box. “The true question, Captain, is what can the Prophets do for you?” she says as she sits the box on his desks and opens it facing him. 

Ben saw the Prophet orb box and recognized it and was startled to see her place it on his desk and open it. Then there was a bright light and he was no longer in his office. 

**************

He had been here before, the white nothingness. Then he saw her, his wife standing before him, but he knew it wasn’t Jennifer, she was long dead. No, this was one of the aliens known as the Prophets. “Why am I here?” he asked, figuring that the Prophets must have sent the Vedik, though they simply could just ask him to visit. 

The woman looked at Sisko, her eyes sad, “The Sisko is in pain,” she said. “The Sisko’s pain is ours. Though we can not affect your liner time, we can…give you a moment.” She said.

“A moment?”

“Yes, a moment.” Then the whiteness of nothingness started to swirl all around. 

***************

Benjamin found himself standing in his bedroom and dressed in a dark golden brown shirt and matching pants. He took a moment and noticed that things looked different, but he couldn’t put his finger on it as the smell of his favorite gumbo wafted through the air and tempted his nose. Not sure what to make of this he followed the smell out to the living room and saw a candle lit dinner table set for two. He not only liked hot food, but hot Latin music and it filled the air, and he couldn’t but help grin at this thought. 

He moved out into the living room and saw the food simmering and moved to taste it. To his surprise it was even better than his fathers, //No way!// he thought. //It’s just not possible! Is it?// he thought. Ben then remembered a promise he made to himself when he was a young man, //if I ever find a woman who can make gumbo better than my dad, I’m marring them straight off,// he laughed to himself. “Seems that you just got lucky,” he laughed. 

“Hey, get out of there!” a lilt teasing voice flowed behind him. 

Sisko turned and his eyes went wide. Here was Julian Bashir, dressed similar to him, but in all white, and no shoes, coming out of the washroom and moving toward him with a huge smile on his face. “Doctor?” he asked a bit confused. 

“Don’t Doctor me, Ben. I didn’t go to all this trouble to make this anniversary dinner just so you can spoil it by sampling,” he teased as he hit Ben’s hand lightly to get it away from the pot. 

//Did he say…anniversary dinner?// Ben just stared wide-eyed and watched as Julian sauntered around his quarters…wait. //That’s not mine, nor that…wait!// he spotted a few pictures and moved to take a better look. He felt a bit pale, it was him and Julian; apparently back on Earth in front of his Father’s restaurant with Jake. Then there were a few others of the two of them, but the real kicker was the one with Him and Julian in tuxedos with Jadzia on one side and Miles on the other. He stared at it intensely…//Married? // 

“Hon, can you give me a hand here,” Julian said as he exited another side room with a hot pan of fresh bread and the other had a bottle of wine and a small wrapped box. 

Ben placed the pictures down and moved, taking the bottle and the box, since Julian had the hot mitt for the pan. He placed the bottle down and looked, Julian was wearing a gold wedding band, and he looked down at his hand and saw that he was wearing one too. 

“Well, what do you think? Though you did ask me to keep it simple,” Julian smiled as he moved up close to Ben. 

“Um…it looks wonderful,” he stammered. “You cooked? The gumbo too?” he asked, again remembering his thoughts about marrying anyone who could do that. 

Julian laughed as he placed his hands around his husband’s neck, “You know I did. Though it took me a while to get the hang of it,” he teased. “Happy anniversary, love,” he whispered and kissed his husband. 

Ben was taken back by all this. He never even thought about men that way, much less the young handsome doctor. //Well, he is very beautiful when you come to think about it,// he was thinking when the long slim arms snaked around his neck and then a whisper then… He felt the firm soft lips caress his own and felt the surge of electricity that coursed though out his body. The soft tender kiss lingered before he felt the urge to explore this warm hot mouth beneath his. Next thing he knew he was wrapping his arms around the strong slim waist and pulling the young man close to his body as his tongue was welcomed into Julian’s mouth. What seemed like forever was but a few moments as he needed air. //Wow! And that’s just a kiss! // he thought though his body was stunned. 

“Wow,” Julian grinned. “I guess you’re not as tired as you thought you were,” he mused, trying to calm the flush from his face. 

A thought occurred to Sisko, “Remind me,” he smiled. “How long?” he asked in a teasing manner. 

“I know, it’s hard to believe it has been five years already,” he chuckled. “Though technically our anniversary is tomorrow, but we both know that Jadzia, Nerys, Keiko and Miles have worked real hard toward our ‘surprise’ party,” he laughed. “So, like I promised, I sent Bobby to stay with big brother Jake and Jenny is with Kieko,” he said as he pressed himself closer to the strong body before him. “Do you think after all these years, and two kids that I still look good?” he asked in that teasing, you-better-say-yes-tone. 

Ben was now really shocked, “Our…son…Bobby? Jenny?” he asked. 

Julian leaned back. “Told you that those spices in that gumbo could melt your brain,” he teased. “Yes, ‘our’ three and half year old son is with his big brother and ‘our’ seven month old daughter is with Kieko,” he laughed. 

“You gave birth?” Ben asked, taking this all in as fast as his narrow mind could. 

“Don’t start, Ben,” Julian smirked as he gave another mild slap on Ben’s shoulder and moved out of his husbands arms toward the food. “Are you going to gape at me all night or are you going to sit down and have some dinner,” he asked as he moved to collect the large pot with the gumbo and move it to the table. 

Ben Sisko stared at the sensuous young man and felt all the internal pain starting to wash away. //Who ever thought that young fresh face and sweet voice was the answer all along// he thought then looked around and saw other pictures of the kids. He moved toward them, and saw that bobby looked a lot like himself, and was amazed to see that Jenny, so tiny and beautiful as she is, being held by Julian, still in the biobed, looked so much like her other father. Deep warmth filled his soul at that moment. 

He turned, “Julian, do you remember how we…got together?” he asked, really wanting to know. 

“Of course,” he said as he lit the candles. “You came up to me out of nowhere and asked if I like Cajun, I said a lot, you asked me to dinner…thus started the ball rolling. Though it was a while before our first kiss and stuff like that,” he laughed lightly. “I told you then, that my reputation around the station was a bunch of hogwash, and I believed I proved it too,” he chuckled. “Now, unless your hiding it in your pocket, get ‘my’ present and get your butt over here before it gets cold.”

Ben smiled warmly at the beautiful young man, “Yes, sir!” he replied and headed to the bedroom. 

“Ah, finally he got it right,” Julian’s voice echoed in a teasing laugh as Ben walked through the doors into vast white nothingness. 

************

Ben looked around and saw Jennifer the Prophet again and smiled. “Was that…was that real?”

“It was a moment of the many possible futures. If that time line is to occur it is up to you. We chose this one for it made the Sisko to be most fulfilled.”

Before Ben could say another word the mist swirled around him again. 

*************

Ben blinked and sat up right in his chair in time to see Vedik Amilla closing the box. “I was sent to bring you this,” she said softly with a warm smile. “I hope the blessings of the Prophets are with you, Emissary,” she says as she gives a small bow and then proceeds to wrap the box back up. 

“Ah, was that all?” Ben asked, still a bit shaken from the experience. 

“Yes, Emissary.” Vedik Amilla carefully takes hold of the prized package and gives another small bow. “Have a good day,” she said and then leaves as Major Kira walks in. 

“What was that all about?” she asked noticing Ben’s startled look on his face. 

“I’m not sure,” Ben replied as he sat back taking his baseball in hand lost deep in thought, that he didn’t even notice Kira leaving his office. “I’m not sure.”

 

*************

Three days later Ben was walking down the promenade and saw the beautiful young man walking alone for the first time since he decided to see if this path really was possible this morning. 

“Doctor…Julian?” He called out and caught up to the young man who was heading to the Infirmary. 

“Yes, Captain?” Julian asked warmly. 

“A question if I may,” Ben smiled, though he felt like a huge knot inside. 

“Sure,” Julian replied noticing his Commanding officer’s nervousness. 

“Um…do you like Cajun?” 

Julian looked at Ben with a puzzled look then shrugged it off mentally, “Yes, a lot. But no one can make it half as good as you can. You might say, Captain, your cooking has ruined me for anybody else,” he chuckled. 

“Well then, would you care to join me for dinner tonight?” Ben asked in deep hopes that the moment he had experienced in the future could come to pass by this moment of hope now. 

Julian took a moment and thought about it, “Um, sure, Captain.” 

“Ben, Julian, Ben. How about 1900hrs and I’ll cook?” He smiled. 

“Ah, sure…Ben” he replied as he tried out the name for what seemed like the first time. In fact, except in reports it was the first time. “But only if you make that famous gumbo of yours,” he said, not sure why he needed a bit of humor at the moment. He usually only needed it when he felt nervous, but why now?

“You have a deal. 1900hrs then,” Ben smiled then moved off, full of hope for the future at the moment. 

 


End file.
